Yes You Can - Fourth Edition - 171

Medications that are used for nerve pain include antiseizure medications, mild pain medications [e.g., acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen], and strong pain medications [e.g., oxycodone, methadone]. Antidepressants can also help reduce pain by increasing neurochemicals in the brain that act as natural pain killers. other factors will help reduce the spinal cord pain. The eﬀectiveness of herbal medicine and chiropractic manipulation on spinal cord pain has not been demonstrated. Some studies have found that acupuncture is helpful for reducing SCI pain, but more research is needed. Spinal Cord Pain Current treatments often can’t fully relieve spinal cord pain, so the focus should be on improving your quality of life. Various treatments can lessen the pain. Stretching, active exercise, TENS, and relaxation exercises can help. Certain medications can lessen spinal cord pain: antidepressants [e.g., amitriptyline, desipramine] and antiseizure medications such as carbamazepine [Tegretol] and gabapentin [Neurontin]. Topical pain medications [such as capsaicin or analgesic balm] can also help. Sometimes narcotic medications, such as codeine and methadone, are used. The disadvantages of narcotics are that they cause constipation and that you can develop a tolerance to them over time. Whatever approach you negotiate with your health-care provider, make sure you give it enough of a trial. Sometimes it takes several weeks before you can tell if a treatment or medication is helping. Various kinds of surgery have been tried to relieve spinal cord pain, but nothing has been 100 percent successful. These surgeries include cutting pain pathways in the spinal cord and implanting an electrical stimulator to interrupt the ﬂow of pain signals to the brain. Expanding vocational, social, and recreational activities may help by allowing you to focus away from your pain. Sometimes other factors—like depression, muscle/bone/joint pain, or visceral pain—can add to spinal cord pain. Treating these A Note about Chronic Pain Most people have some pain at the time of their injury, but fortunately it goes away over time. Some people will have to cope with chronic pain on top of the injury itself. It’s important to keep pain from becoming a disabling condition. Many of the treatments for chronic pain only take the edge oﬀ. What remains is sometimes called “residual pain.” The challenge for people with SCI is to generate activities and live a productive life in spite of residual pain. After the frustration of not ﬁnding a complete solution wears oﬀ, most patients with chronic pain settle into the task of making meaning in their lives, and this allows them to cope eﬀectively. If you’re dealing with chronic pain, watch for signs that you’re getting overwhelmed by it. The following are warning signs that you need to get some help: Not participating in important activities. Prolonged negative mood or irritability. Withdrawal from important relationships. Using alcohol or drugs to cope with pain. Using pain medications more than the directions say to use them. If you see these symptoms in yourself, contact a psychologist who’s familiar with pain after SCI or meet with a local health care provider who specializes in the management of chronic pain. Section 3: Coping and Living with SCI! | [ 171 ]

Yes You Can - Fourth Edition

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Yes You Can - Fourth Edition